Yes, you drive this remote controlled car with your Apple or Android mobile device. That is one excellent things about the huge opportunity opened by mobile devices and their respective app platforms. Smartphones and tablets are packed to the gills with technology (Hello Bluetooth, WiFi, accelerometer, GPS, NFC, and in some cases a barometric pressure sensor!) which can be leveraged for nearly any purpose.

If you’re handy with small electronics, like DIY circuit board kits and programmable micro-controllers, you could use your mobile device to do just about anything. Want to ring your doorbell with your iPhone? What about triggering a spritz of air freshener around the cat’s litter box? It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds!

This same “Why not?” line of thought was applied to a standard entry-level RC car and here you have the app-controlled WiFi Racer available from Brookstone. This speed demon is not a miniature car, but rather a large chassis with studded tires and spring suspension.

Install the app on your Android or iOS device and your device’s accelerometer is used to control the RC car. A rechargeable 9.6V ni-cad battery runs this beast up to speed and from reading reviews on Brookstone’s website it should provide hours of fun. I know on the RC cars I played with as a kid, the remote control was always prone to being broken or lost, making a smartphone or tablet a good choice for control replacement, given how obsessive we are over losing our precious iPhones and Androids.

If the idea of controlling your own RC car over WiFi appeals to you, for a limited time you can pick up this neat little gadget for just $49.99, half off the retail price drop Brookstone.